The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-01-14

70 tee happy, nall score OF years may
pass like dream in the night. They may
pass like dream In tho night, too, to
those who are simply unaware Of their
lapse, 80 a woman lying helpless and
speechlees in large hospital for the in
sane near a town on the French coast,
hardly fail to be. She had been brought
there by Che captain Of French steamer,
who had picked her up at ssa, plying
passengers having subscribed sum OF
money for her comfort. He knew nothing
about her; the fracture Of her skull-for
she HAD bean. perhaps, dragged the whole
length Of the keel and h4rt by the pro-
peller-had already made her insensible
before the apoplexy Of drowning took
place, and slthougb, when drawn on
board tbs steamer, Hhn Waa found
after long effort, 10 be living. she had no
language and no consciousness. The fine
texture OF the fragments left OF the gar
spentG torn and cut and wrenched away
indicated comfortable circumstances; but
no name was to be found on any OF the
remaining portions. Yet one could hardly
look at her and not imagine her to have
been a person oil pipgular refinement, as
she evidently still was OF singular beauty
dark and shapely, with chiseled features
and wealth Of long, night:black hair.
The captain who left her at the hospital
on landing had intended to insert adver-
tisements respecting her in the American
newspapers, but whether be did or not no
one knew, as he was himself lost at sea on
the return voyage. .
And so abe had remained where no had
left her, her case exciting some interest
among surgeons. The fracture OF the
skull had long been cured, and it was
thought that slow absorption would re-
lieve tho brain OF pressure and in time
restore the patient to herself and 80 to her
frienda. She had gradually walked from
her stupor, and given faint glimmers OF
reason, and become more and more intel.
ligent, although 80 slowly that one recog.
nized it only by comparison with the past.
When ct last she spoke it was in French.
Whether that was her native tongue was
doubtful, from certain peculiarly Of
pronunciation. 1t was possible she had
learned 1t as q child learns its mother.
tongue, hearing it spoken about her; but,
on the other hand, II she belonged, as
her dark rich color seemed to say,
to the southern provinces, that would
account for the PECULIARLY In the
eighth year OF her stay, however, she,
once In while, said something in a for
eign tongue, German, perhaps, or English
The case was ine1plicable. Some months
later, shs seemed to be full OF perplexing
though Of melancholy memories, OF
doubt and wonder; che obtained from the
attendants. all that they knew about her.
self, but she said nothing in reply, as II
uncertain whether she dreamed or walked.
The physicians regarded II as an uniavor.
able symptom that she became very sad.
One day she was heard humming an Ital.
ian air full Of Torture; she wept after.
ward, she could not have told you why.
And then she soothed demented ohild
by singing to him softly all the morning.
The attendants got in the way Of asking
her to sing when tho wsyds
were noisy, and abe always
brought quiet-an old official Of the
place used to do tho came thing with his
flute, thay said. Ono day whom danger
ous and murderouy maniac had broken
loose and was dealing havoc on bis way,
she astonished everybody within the
walln by walking coolly toward him and
bursting into triumphal song, full
J throated, resoundlng sweet to the SOULS